Zone diet example

Premise

The following indications are for information purposes EXCLUSIVELY and are not intended to replace the opinion of professional figures such as doctor, nutritionist or dietician, whose intervention is necessary for the prescription and composition of CUSTOMIZED food therapies.

Zone diet

The zone diet is a food protocol (coined by the American biochemist Berry Sears) more similar to a philosophy of life than to a simple dietary scheme; the researcher, through the application of this diet, promises to reduce excess fat, cancel hunger attacks and, at the same time, guarantee full physical and mental efficiency (even during athletic performance).

According to Sears, the food itself represents, if well chosen and consumed, the most powerful drug known to man.

The cardinal principles of the zone diet are:

• Control of eicosanoids (prostaglandins, prostacyclines, thromboxanes, leukotrienes, etc.); some of them perform positive functions such as the contrast of the inflammatory response, the favor of vasodilation, the reduction of platelet aggregation, the pro-immune development etc. Others, related to the most common contemporary pathologies, play a "negative" role, behaving as pro-inflammatory, favoring platelet aggregation, vaso-forcing and depressing the immune system.
• Control of the hormone insulin : anabolic and fattening
• Control of the glucagon hormone: catabolic and responsible for the depletion of energy reserves (sugars and fats)

Ultimately, the zone diet should be calculated using an energy distribution that respects the balance of eicosanoids and the hormones insulin and glucagon; the percentages of macro-energetics are:

• Carbohydrates 40%
• 30% Protein
• Lipids 30%

The zone diet also includes other FUNDAMENTAL RULES to reach the "psycho-physical wellness zone", that is:

• Time between meals = or <5 hours (total, 5 meals / day)
• Elimination of foods that contain refined carbohydrates (both simple and complex)
• Carbohydrate removal from fruits and vegetables (fructose only)
• To promote the right hormonal response, every meal or snack must consist of all 3 energy macronutrients
• Dinner must precede sleep of about 2 hours; if the time is greater, it is better to consume a further snack before sleeping.

The unit of measurement of the zone diet referred to meals is called BLOCCO, appropriately divided into carbohydrates, proteins and lipids (40-30-30 of energy); they, having an energetic value different from each other (CHO 3.75kcal / g, proteins 4kcal / g and lipids 9kcal / g) must be made in different weights to provide 1/3 of block each: CHO 9g + P 7g + L 3g = 1 BLOCK.

Zone diet food choices

Ultimately, the zone diet promotes the consumption of certain foods but does not recommend as many; the recommended foods are those that provide a good amount of high biological value proteins (lean meats, egg whites, lean fresh cheeses, etc.), unsaturated lipids (fish rich in omega-3, dried fruit rich in omega - ‰ 6, extra virgin olive oil rich in omega ‰ 9 etc.) and low glycemic index carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables rich in fructose and soluble fiber). On the contrary, the foods not recommended are those that provide large percentages of saturated lipids and cholesterol (fatty and above all red meats, sausages, salted meats, fat cheeses, some offal, egg yolk, butter, lard, etc.) and refined carbohydrates (sweets containing sucrose and all sources of complex carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, rice, other cereals, legumes and potatoes).

Calculation of food portions according to the zone diet

The zone diet system for calculating the food portions useful for "entering the area" uses two calculation methods:

• Palm of the hand: at each meal protein foods should be consumed of the size of the palm of the hand (without fingers and both surface and thickness) followed by a quantity of fruit equal to two closed fists.
• BLOCK system (already mentioned): each energy macronutrient represents 1/3 of a quantitatively different block from the others; the blocks correspond to the energy distribution of 40:30:30 and must ALWAYS be assumed in proportions of 1: 1: 1.

Finally, to estimate the overall energy share it is necessary to:

• Estimate the fat-free mass (FFM), with indirect methods such as plicometry or BIA
• Calculate the protein quota based on the coefficient of physical activity (see dedicated tables)
• On it, estimate the amount of protein blocks and then, proportionally, also that of carbohydrates and lipids
• The division of energy at meals is approximately
• Breakfast: 25%
• Snack: 10%
• Lunch: 30%
• Snack: 10%
• Dinner: 25%
• (Possible 3rd snack: 10%, subtracting energy for lunch and / or dinner)

Example

• Fitness instructor and computer technician; performs circuit-training in the gym twice a week and swims 2-3 times.

Example Zone Diet - Day 1

Zone Diet Example - Day 2

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Example Zone Diet - Day 4

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Example Zone Diet - Day 7